Your chance to congratulate Russell…

We got a nice call from a longtime Dodger fan, Dr. Bob Filep, who was so impressed with the way Russell played during the All-Star Game, he wanted a forum where fans could express their gratitude and congratulations to him. So, what better way than right here, where so many of you visit regularly already?

Feel free to leave your congratulatory messages here for Russell and I’ll pass along the stack when I see him next week. While I can’t make it a habit of bringing messages to the players every day or my entire day would be spending doing so, I think this is a special occasion and he deserves to know what you all think…

russell.. you are incredible beyond words.. every day i get to watch you play baseball, i feel so lucky. you play the game hard, and play the game the right way, and all baseball fans can appreciate that. while it was sad we only had one dodger representative, it’s safe to say you represented your teammates, the organization, all your fans, and the city of los angeles very very well. i am proud to be a fan of yours, and i will continue to be one of your biggest fans forever.

Russell ~ you were outstanding!!! We were so proud to say that you were a Dodger, and that you belong to this team. All aspects of your game were top notch, what more is there to say. The game wasn’t a game until you were in there, and boy, were you in there!! Fabulous Russell, just absolutely Fabulous!!!!!

Sara – wonderful post :)
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Hey Josh, Andre’s already covered. We just leave him messages over on his blog. Maybe Russell needs his own blog, too :) (jk – but it is a thought) Thanks for doing this Josh – it’s fun to get to have communication with the players every now and then.
~ Andre’s “Super Fan” ~ Debbie

Great job Marty!!! You made the fans and the Dodgers very proud with your performance. I am happy that many more people got to see what we see everyday, that you are a truly incredible and talented athlete. We are very fortunate to have you on our team. Keep up the good work and I hope you guys make it to the playoffs.

Congrats on 2 in a row Russell! Your career in MLB has been incredible. You have proven yourself a leader, team player and overall nice guy. I have never heard a bad thing about you from anyone in baseball, fan or media. I love this “youth movement” that has taken over the clubhouse this year, and you are by far the leader of the pack. Keep up the great work and take comfort in the fact that you have all of LA and “Inside The Dodgers Bog” behind you 100%!
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Go Blue!
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~Amy~

Great All-Star game blocking the plate, working with unfamiliar pitchers, forcing Mariano to throw eight pitches to you and getting a hit off of him. You were AWESOME!
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We love you Russell.
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Personally, I would be in favor of you becoming the player-manager of this club in about five years. If you are not someday the manager of the Dodgers (assuming that’s something you want to do someday), the club will have made a mistake on the order of the mistake they made by letting Mike Scoscia get away.

Russell,
You make me proud to be a Dodger fan with your day in and day out performances but you also did an exceptional job during the AS game, congrats. Keep up the great work and lead us to the promise land soon, we’ve been waiting for 20 years. GO BLUE!

Dear Russell Martin,
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Congratulations on your fine All-Star appearance, as well as for your professional career to date. You are exactly the kind of player the Dodgers have needed for quite some time; a leader who is a high-quality ballplayer at an important position that can be built around. Thank you for being a great player to watch play the game.
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Now, please have your agent negotiate a longer-term contract with the Dodgers this off-season!

What a great performance Russell….It was a pleasure to watch you in the All Star Game and in every game you play for the Dodgers…You are the shining light for this team…
Keep up the good work …We’re so proud of you..

Great job Russ! Performances like that are the reasons you win awards like the heart and hustle. You played with so much passion and intensity; it makes Los Angeles proud to say that you are a part of the Dodgers and LA. Keep up the great job and good luck in the second half we’re rooting for you.

I have a photo of you at your first Spring Training with the big club in my office (signed, of course). When I took the photo, I predicted your greatness – and I was right, but who the heck knew how well you could play 3B? I think you can play SS too. Do you think you’ll ever get the chance? Are you sure you anen’t an alien? You are My Favorite Martin, and Favorite Dodger. You represent the Blue as good as anyone ever has… and that’s saying a lot!

Congratulations on your work ethic and character! You are a great ballplayer and a better human being. Your father must be very proud.

Russell, great job at the All Star Game! You showed all those East Coast folks, and the world in general, the epitome of what Dodger baseball is! Keep up the great work, and bring the title back home to where it should be!

Hey jhall – thanks for the tips on the songs by “Guess Who”. I was telling eric last night I knew all but two songs – I just didn’t know that was the group that sang them. I believe they sang all their songs that became hits, including the two or three you mentioned and the one that scott did a song to. :)

Your welcome Nells’!! I always liked the Guess Who in Junior High and High School so when I happened to get to see them it was incredible. Very good show, I thought you would enjoy it. Did your kids like it?

Hey jungar – I was reading over at DT today,and it was brought up about JP coming back early – did you find out if that was true?
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jhall – my kids did enjoy it for what they heard. Michael plays Guitar Hero so “American Woman” was a classic hit for him anyway. They didn’t hear the whole thing – they were doing the teenage thing – hanging out with their friends. I thoroughly enjoyed it, as did my husband. It was a nice cool night which made it even better. Only two of the original band members still exists, but honestly it didn’t sound any different than it does on the radio. They were very well received and they even signed autographs after the show. Some great solos from all the musicians, too.

Congratulations, Russell on your All-Star selection and your great performance in the game, too. My dad the Yankee fan, who had been told several times about you by me, finally saw you in action during the AS game and said how he impressed he was. “Ah! Now I see what you’ve been talking about.” And that was just one exhibition game. It’s the whole season that impresses me most. Here’s to a great rest of the year and hopefully some playoffs!

You also have the best middle name(s) there is. I want to change mine from Gary to Miles or BeBop now. ;)

Russ,
My 83 year old Grandpa, who is a HUGE Giants fan, emailed me Tuesday night to say what an outstanding job ‘my catcher’ did at the AS Game, I had to agree. You made us Dodger fans so proud and we’re so glad you were there to represent LA!

Russ mate – Greetings from Australia. You did an outstanding job in the All Star game and you made all us old Dodger fans proud. Keep up the good work and one day I hope to be able to see you play in the flesh but that’s in the hands of the Lotto “Gods”.

Glad to see that Matthew is back in the lead-off spot and Andre is in his EVERYDAY spot. Still not sure why James in not 5th, but I am not complaining too much. At least it’s Nomar and not Andruw. GO DODGERS!!! It’s great to be back to playing baseball.

Russell
As a former catcher, I was more than impressed with the pick and tag play at the plate and your hit was a great piece of major league hitting. You more than carried your share of the load representing the Dodgers. Here’s hoping we get to see more in the years to come. Like in the World Series.

Russell! You were a rock star at the AllStar Game! Congrats on a terrific performance, you did us proud! Here’s hoping next year you will be voted again as a starter as you well deserve and not travel solo but with additional Dodger company. Congrats again on making the Blue look awesome on national TV!

Russell,
Congratulations on your trip to the All-Star. It was a pleasure to watch you play. I love your enthusiasm on the field! I felt bad for Dan Uggla following his errors, but was happy the game wasn’t decided based on them. Glad that Holidays got the NLon the board with his HR. Loved Nate McClout’s throw home. We lost but we put a great fight!
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Like I told you once in San Francisco, your “Before the Bigs” was very touching and your dad made me cry. I still cry when I see it. When I ran into you at Mulligan’s in Vero Beach (you were saying good-bye to the bartender lady who was also working at Dodgertown while I was having dinner and a drink at the bar), you were very gracious when I said “good luck Russell”. You extended your hand and said “Thank you “. Please remember that a smile or a greeting from our boys in Blue goes a long way for us Dodger fans.
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I voted for you this year, but last year between my brother and I we filled out 2 boxes of ballots for you. Ever since I met Debi Little at one of the WIn events, I would always run into her at the elevator or escalator or just walking by at the stadium. Anyway, she saw me carrying the second box that year and she helped me find a place where to place it. Next thing I know, a few weeks later, I received a package at home with a beautiful handmade Dodger bag and a card saying “Thank you for being such a good fan of Russell”. She is a sweet lady, I miss seeing her friendly face at the stadium. I love that she treated everyone the same, weather she was talking to an executive, an usher or a fan. The world needs more people like Debi. I hope she and Grady are doing well enjoying their grandchildren.
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Road trip for me! I will be in Phoenix to watch Saturday and Sunday’s game, God willing. Stomp on those Snakes!
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Thanks!
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Emma

Russ,
You were simply outstanding at the All-Star game. The play at the plate where you tagged-out Navarro was a thing of beauty.
I have talked with many Dodgers fans about your performance, and without fail the most common reply has included the word “proud.”
Russ, you make us proud to say we are Dodgers fans– you are the man!

Perfect timing enchanted!!!
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Song: For Two Full Years (Andruw Jones)
Original Years: 96 Tears
By: ? and the Mysterians
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Too many strikeouts for one guy to be grinnin’
Too many strikeouts for one guy to carry on
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You’re up to bat now
In front of Loney
You’re always smilin’
Way up at us
But watch out now
Here comes the ball
Get it together
For just a little while
Or then Joe should bench you
Put Young there
Or we’ll be cryin’
For two full years
Cry
Cry
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And when it’s time to come up
We’ll be on top
You’ll be way down there
Lookin’ up
And we won’t cheer
From up here
Some will even boo you
Swingin’ now
From way up here
Wonderin’ how
We ever got you
But we know now
We’ll just cry, cry, we’ll just cry
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Too many strikeouts for these fans to be watchin’
Too many strikeouts for these fans
To carry on
We’re gonna cry when Andruw starts
We’re gonna cry when Andruw starts
We’re gonna cry, cry, cry, cry, now
We’re gonna cry, cry, cry, cry
For two full years cmon’ or you’ll hear us cry, now
For two full years (whoo!) Your gonna hear us cry
Night and day, yeah all night long
Uh, for two full years cry, cry, cry
Andruw, let us hear you cry now, all night long
Uh, for two full years! Yeah, cmon’ now
Uh, for two full years!
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(fade)

Captain Martin,
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A great All-Star game. You played it like you do every game with the Dodgers–with heart and skill. While you had to represent the Dodgers alone, you more than carried the burden, working counts, throwing, blocking the plate, and even executing the sacrifice when I am sure that you wanted to–and could have–driven in the go-ahead run.
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I am not sure if I agree with my brother MartinLoneyKemp about you being a player manager–I have no doubt you could do it, but it’s a lot of stuff to put on a player to be a key hitter, team captain (which I hope you are soon appointed to), on-field captain by virtue of your position, and manager. And I wonder if you could only go out to talk to the pitcher once in an inning without pulling him. But I wholeheartedly agree with his assessment that when the day comes that you hang up your catching gear–which we all would like to not happen until your age is your number, but realisitically not for many, many years–you should, and I hope do become the Dodgers Manager.
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Until that day, we love that you keep making All-Star teams, keep leading the club, and we wish you the very best in the Second Half.

Russell!! You did an outstanding job representing the Dodgers well in the All-Star game. I stood up and cheered at your play at the plate as if I were at the game, you did a terriffic job covering the plate, handing the pick and tagging the runner out. Nice, Russell!! Or as they were calling you on the Fox network, a magician. Yup, you’re our MAGICIAN!! Thanks for showing everyone what type of catcher/player we have on our team. I truly appreciate all of your hard work, you’re my favorite player and I hope you can spend your entire career in a Dodger uniform. I would be disappointed if you were ever to leave the Dodgers organization. I’ve never lived in Southern California, but I make sure everyone here in the Northern part of California know who Russell Martin is!! Last but not least, congrats on getting a hit off Mariano Rivera, you put up a battle and you got it done. You ROCK!!!!! Russ, you make us Dodger fans proud each and everyday. Next up, let’s get to the playoffs, I know we can do it. Our best baseball is yet to be played!! I hope I can get the chance to meet you someday and get your autograph.

great lineup today.. i’m SO excited we’re back!! the break seemed FOREVER, even though it was only a few days.. let’s get a win, GO BLUE!

so, i’ve been MIA lately (we have camp so i’m away from my computer the whole day teaching kids tennis).. and if i’m not on my computer at work, i can’t post!! haha.. but i’ve caught up mostly on what’s been going on.. cool songs everyone.. you’ve all been creative for the past few days, that’s for sure.. but then again, when are you not creative?

dnelly, i read that your husband is bringing your son to prospect camp at my school! :)
let me know which session he’s coming to, and i can ask some of the coaches and baseball guys what they thought of him if you want.. i know most of them pretty well.. what grade is he going to be in?

also, i was reading as you were talking about your ethier obsession. trust me when i say that i’m sure my russell obsession compares equally, or even greater. i have everything russell, and i love the guy. shirts, jerseys.. i even have a shirt that they were selling at dodgers stadium earlier in the year that says “who’s your boyfriend? i’ve got mine..” and it has martin 55 in a baseball.. haha.. i just think it’s such a silly shirt and i can’t believe russell let them sell it.. so i bought it.. i can’t believe you have an ethier build-a-bear, because i have a russell one! his name is just russ. he has a dodgers t-shirt and bunny slippers.. haha

amy, when i went to the dodgers-marlins game on saturday, there was a girl behind me that has such a huge crush on matty kemp. she reminded me of you. she was ballsy too. we were sitting next to the ballboy, and late in the game after one of matty’s at bats, she went to talk to the ballboy, and she gave him a note with her number in it for the guy to give to matt. it took some coaxing, but he finally agreed to give the note to matty. i couldn’t believe she actually did it. as much as i love russell, i just can’t see myself throwing my number on a note to be delivered. haha. i’m just going to have to meet him myself to strike up a conversation. not saying that matty would call her, just saying it’s interesting..

sara – that is too funny about the bear!!! LOL!!! I named him Ethier because I wanted my students to learn how to spell his last name (Andre is an easy name to spell). So, he goes by Ethier Bear. I introduce him at the beginning of the year. I have other stuffed animals that are named after Dodger players in the classroom, but Ethier Bear goes back and forth between home and school.
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about the prospect camp – I believe he is going to the one in the middle of August (I will check specific dates), and he is only going to be a sophomore who turns 15 in October. Sara – he already throws 4/5 different pitches. I’m just his mom, but he’s awfully good for his age and three more years of highschool to go.

Russell, first off, thanks for taking pictures with my kids on the last Caravan. In my 22 or so years of watching baseball there’s one variety of player I have found that rises to the top, and that’s the kind that first, are talented, and second, that bust their butt on every play no matter what. You must be physically and mentally exhausted at the end of the season because are you in the game for the entire 3 hours. You have all the tools to succeed and that’s pretty obvious at this point. It’s a pleasure getting to watch you and, most important for me, to have someone for my son to look at and model his game after.

Quick question if that’s allowed — who was your most memorable pitcher to catch at the AS game?

Song: Ned Drives Us Crazy
Original Song: She Drives Me Crazy
By: Fine Young Cannibals
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My 80’s music background is starting to creep through :)
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We can’t stop
The way we feel
Things you do
Don’t seem real
Tell you what we’ve got in mind
Cause we’re runnin’ out of time
Won’t you please set Ned free
This waitin’ round’s killin ITD
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Ned drives us crazy
Like no one else
Ned drives us crazy
And we can’t help ourselves
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We can’t get
Any rest
People say
We’re obsessed
Everything Dodgers that lasts
But to us there’s no surprise
What we have, we knew was true
Teams go young, they always do
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Ned drives us crazy
Like no one else
Ned drives us crazy
And we can’t help ourselves
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We will make it
With home grown
Ned takes a hike
We stay home grown
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Ned drives us crazy
Like no one else
Ned drives us crazy
And we can’t help ourselves
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Ned drives us crazy
Like no one else
Ned drives us crazy
And we can’t help ourselves

Russell, first of all, congrats for making it to the All Star game. You did all us Dodger fans proud. And now the baseball world REALLY knows what a gem you are. Your love and enthusiasm for the game is so evident. You “sign your work with excellence” no matter what, and that is what makes you such a stand-out player. All the best to you and yours!
Best regards,
Jeanne (a long-time Dodger fan)

Per Tony Jackson and Diamond Leung, on their blogs:
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Yhency Brazoban moved to 60-day DL to make room for Jason Johnson whose contract was purchased. Johnson is going to start on Tuesday instead of Chan Ho Park, who will go to the bullpen.
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westernmost_in_flavor says: You know who Jason Johnson reminds me of, statistically? Brett Tomko. I guess the coaching staff thought Chan Ho looked pretty awful that last start, otherwise Johnson would be in long relief.

jhall… :)
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Boblee – the Boys did do well last year, and we had an unexpectantly better year than thought so it will be exciting to say the least to see what they bring this year. I love our division – some good football teams always. It’s never a given playing anybody in this division.

first, he doesn’t slide or dive back to third – or even break for home, resulting in a inning killing DP. then he can’t come up with a ground ball for a inning ending DP. if that was loney or kent, i am sure Joe and he Media would have been questioning their youth and inexperience, esp on the basepaths.

raise your hand if you knew this game was already in doubt when loney hit into the DP in the first!?!

nelly, its not that I hate the Dodgers. I am just really frustrated. I mean there are certain players that I think suck and shouldnt even be on a major league roster, but there are others that I LOVE to watch play. And with reguards to Bay, I see him completely changing the look of our lineup(for the better, obviously). I just think this team needs a spark and I dont think Mattingly will provide it.

Congratulations on a GREAT All-Star game, Russell! Your blocking and tag out at home plate were phenomenal!! And I’d bet that if you were still in the game the AL wouldn’t have scored the winning run, either. I think the whole world saw why you should have been the starting catcher. You are a great example of the wonderful Dodger tradition of the past. Keep up the good work!!!

Bay or anyone else will not help unless they replace Jones and Phew. It doesn’t significantly improve the team to replace Ethier or Kemp with Bay and continue to play Jones and/or Phew. If they got Bay and started an outfield of Bay/Kemp/Ethier, it would be a big improvement.

I think there is a reason Johnson pitched for the Seibu Lions last season. Right now, Phew is better than Jones, but no team will take either of them. I could live with an outfield of Phew, Kemp, and Bay though. The only 3 position players that I wouldnt trade for Bay are Kemp, Loney and obviously Martin.

I wouldn’t trade Ethier either, and the problem with the outfield really is Torre’s persistence to continue playing Jones and to return Pierre to the lineup and leadoff as soon as he becomes available. As long as Pierre and Jones play, it doesn’t much matter who’s got the third OF spot, it won’t be enough.

Russell, you are a class act, personally as well as professionally. You play the game the way it’s meant to be played, which, in my mind, is the ultimate compliment. Here’s to hoping you become Captain of the Dodgers and play your whole career as a Dodger. As regards Jason Johnson, let the guy, at least, pitch before you trash him. A lot of people on this blog didn’t want Kershaw pitching in the PCL because it’s such a graveyard for pitchers. Johnson puts up pretty good numbers in a hitter’s league and his stats, all of a sudden,are a fluke.

Actually I wouldn’t trade Ethier for Bay; La Roche is a different story. I just think that Andre is a complete player who’s going to overachieve, and this is just his beginning. He may not have as much natural talent as say Kemp, but right now I think he’s a better player – so for me it’s Martin and Ethier as the top tier, with Loney and Kemp a bit behind. I think that our needs are in the middle of the infield and shedding a couple of Ned’s mistakes.

I think Ethier besides Martin, is the best young player on this team. He is patient at the plate has power and if was not for part of this year sitting on the bench, would have close to 20 HR’S. He would be the last player I traded on this team.

Shad, so when Pierre comes back, according to your thinking, JP and Jones will both have to be out there because of the money they are making. Pierre’s making quite a bit more than Ethier and Kemp too, not to mention poor Young.

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Nice Job Nomar!!! Nomar’s being a very good vet today – beautiful!!!!

I really can’t judge LaRoche properly, because Torre isn’t giving him the right opportunity. I like DeWitt and thought he should keep the position as long as he was performing well. At this stage, however, I think that LaRoche is deserving to start for a couple of series and show what he can do on a consistent basis. Without that happening, we’ll never really know. We also don’t know if he can handle second base – my own take would be that he can probably play that defensively at least as well as Kent at this stage.

Nelly, thanks for asking. My trip was great. Went to Israel for two weeks. I did not get much Dodgers news while I was gone but I see the piano fell on JP, Nomar came back, A. Jones still can’t hit, the songs are still flowing and you guys still don’t like the lineups. With all this the Dodgers picked up two games in the standings.

lbirken – Wow!! Isreal – that must have been some trip. Yes, things are pretty much the same other than JP, but he is expected back in a few weeks, so maybe we will be fortunate to have Andruw go back to the DL by then,and all will be well again with Ethier and Kemp remaining in the outfield together. Nomar seems to be doing okay – obviously everyone here is worried about him staying off the DL.
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Boblee – just pathetic about Andruw right now.

Russ,
Bravo on a spectacular job! So pleased to see you in the game, and i’m sure you being there led to some of the amazing stuff we saw in those wacky 15 innings! Way to represent the Dodgers and so glad you had the opportunity to be there again – you totally earned/deserved it! :D
Congrats on your success and all the best this season! :)
Cori

Nelly, Israel is a fascinating country. Its economy is going well, tourisim is strong, and there is so much history there. When we signed up for the trip we had hoped to attend an Israeli Baseball league game but the league folded after only one year. As it turns out we probably would not have had time anyway.

lbirken – that’s really good to hear about their economy and tourism, and I could only imagine the history that is there. I would think with all the history there, the amount of time was probably not near enough. Fascinating!!

JAMES ANTHONY LONEY
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My Loney has a first name,
It’s J-A-M-E-S
My Loney has a second name,
It’s L-O-N-E-Y
I love to watch him every day
And if you ask me why I’ll say
‘Cause James Loney has a way
With H-I-T-T-I-N-G!
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By leefink and martinloneykemp

Super Amazing 8 to 7 Victory By Our Beloved First Place Los Angeles Dodgers over The Arizona Diamondbacks! Super Heroes Nomar Garciaparra, James Loney,and Matt Kemp Definitely are Kryptonite Busters! Super Hero Pitching Staff Way to hang in there! Jonathan Broxton, you definitely have Super Powers! All the rest of Our Dodgers were Super Heroes! Let’s all keep believing World Series Championship!

I know it’s only the first game after the break, but this game could end up being one of the biggest of the season. I could get used to this kind of offense. Four home runs in a game for the Dodgers this year. Who would have thought? I so hope the Dodgers realize how much better they can be with the lineup they have now. Matt and Andre got things started again tonight and they’re only going to get better. I’m happy to see Nomar playing well. I hope he can keep it up so we don’t trade away one of your young stars for a player that’s not worth it. They’re all starting to show more power lately and I think Mattingly will only help in that regard.

And last, but not least, way to represent the Dodgers and National League in the All Star Game, Russell. That at bat against Rivera was great and your defense was stellar.

Both swood and boblee are not in California so it’s late where they are shad. I think Bear and Boblee gave swood a few things to think about in terms of our two outstanding outfielders tonight, who both had a great night.
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bluecrewgirl – The boys did do a fabulous job tonight – no question about it. This was a big game for them. You could tell by how pumped up they were in the first inning. Andre loves to win in front of his home crowd, so I am sure he was pressing a little too much to get another home run, but nothing wrong with two smacked doubles ethier (either). Also, what can you say about Matt, Russell and James all doing their part as well. Even Nomar – boy, if he can stay healthy, but poor Andruw – what is happening to him. Wow!!

DNelly, I forgot that we had scored 9 in the last game until you mentioned it. I hope that trend keeps up. Even scoring 8 runs tonight, we still didn’t make it easy. It kept me awake though. I was so tired from work this week I don’t think I could have stayed awake for one of those 1 run frustration dreams. I am glad to see Andre hitting for more power lately because it increases his value to the team. I don’t care if Matt strikes out a lot, he’s still doing a good job leading off and starting to get his home run stroke back. I like him, Andre and Russ batting 1, 2 and 3. I would like to see Loney moved up though.

Bluecrewgirl – If they would just allow James to move into the 4th spot, it would be awesome to see what those top four could do everytime they are up. It would work with the right,left, right,left pattern too. Keep Nomar/Kent in the 5th/6th spot and then you still have DeWitt/LaRoche in the 7/8th spot sharing with Andruw/Pierre (when back). Not a bad lineup at all, but the lineup tonight worked, but I would love to see Kemp, Ethier, Martin, Loney lead off the game and see what happens. It certainly can’t hurt. Everyone of them hit tonight.

Russell–Congrats on your 2nd trip to the Allstar Game! It is well deserved. Your hard work & skills sure have payed off!! I as a Dodger fan sure do appreciate all you add to the team and organization. Class is hard to teach and you have it.
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You took the time to autograph a Dodger Team helmet for me up in San Fransisco (Thanks again!!) and as I mentioned then it is truly a pleasure to watch you play.
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Well now after your Allstar appearance the rest of the country gets to see what us Dodger fans have been enjoying since 2006!!
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Congrats and have a great season!!

Russ, I am a 50-year fan of the Dodgers and a student of the way they played the game back in the 20’s. I think you would have fit in just fine with those boys. I didn’t get to watch much of the All-Star game as I was at a Scout meeting and my wife accidentally turned off the DVR. But by all accounts you continued the proud tradition of the Dodgers by doing well on that national stage. I echo a lot of the thoughts of this blog in that I think you should be named Captain of the team and I hope that you retire (a loooooong time from now) as a Dodger. Best of luck to you and your teammates. Now attack those D-Backs and let’s leave Arizona with the divisional lead!

I’ve got to hit and go as the wife is saying it’s bed time…but what a great game!
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The O is starting to look pretty good.
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And as far as that play by DeWitt…That is why to me I know call him DeMitt!!!
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I hope all is well with everyone! Take care… & GO BLUE!!!

I believe swood lives on the east coast somewhere, but not sure which state in particular – I thought the Washington D.C. area. Plus, he is not on messagebear’s list ethier (either). Also, some of us think this is not the original swood, but we can’t quite figure it out nor are we taking the time to figure it out at this point.

Shad – I just realized that when you were talking about your bday being on the same day as Joe’s – that was today (yesterday, now). I’m sorry, I just discovered Joe’s bday was today. I think once “bad”joey showed up things got all turned around as it does when he shows his ugliness around here. Happy Birthday !!!

Russell…you are the most amazing player ever! Your love and passion for the game is shown everyday through the whole game! Although you want yourself to do well you would do anything for the team and it shows! You are an all around great player! you hit for average you have 10 home runs 45 rbis and 10 stolen bases! you can definitely be a 20 20 guy this year! You are just the greatest! At the all star game you were the backup and you were a HUGE part of making it last til the 11th! you are amazing and please realize it and know it because you are! Keep doing amazing and keep your head up your great and your loved!! Hope to see you soon at autograph day!! I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH! you are the heart of the dodgers and i would bleed blue for you all day! Jessica<3

Eric – I have a few more, but I will post tomorrow. I wasn’t going to do any because I didn’t want it to interfer with all the posts for our Captain Russell Martin, but the boys said to go ahead.
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I know this is a broken record, but I just got done reading a couple of articles. If Andruw left the game with so-called flu-like symptoms, why would you start him? Those couple of plays he messed up, plus the two strikeouts really could have cost us the game. I know Kuroda didn’t have the best start, but still.

Did you EVER think you could do this song thing? Not me. I’m a fairly humble guy, I certainly know my limitations and whenever I do show some vanity, the Lord will remind me in some humiliating way that I need to work on my humble-ness, if I may coin a word.

That being said, some of my stuff ain’t bad. I liked the way that Denver song worked out. I was like a lot of us, jones’n for some Dodger baseball. I might be mistaken, but I don’t remember having a 4-day All-Star break before.

I certainly didn’t think I had this much in me. Also, I was pretty simple back in the beginning and now I am trying harder songs with more verses and not so much to the chorus. This “Ironic” song I am working on for amy is all verses with very little chorus. However, she’s a pretty positive person and the song (even the real one) is not. This Dodger team fits the song to a T because this team has had some of the craziest things happen and to a team we thought had so much potential in the beginning, and now look at where we are. We have griped and complained back to first in the division – how ironic is that.

eric – you, jhall and enchanted – all three of you are very talented in the song writing arena. I still think of the song you wrote for my class every time it comes on the radio. This whole adventure at ITD is like a novel. You know the characters’ personalities to a point, but the pictures of what the characters look like and where they live are all in your imagination. I could easily see the three of you sitting around a table just laughing about the stories that are told through this board.

That’s nice of you to be working so long on that song for amy. She seems like a sweetheart. I’m really glad that she doesn’t hold it against us that we ride Pierre so much.

As far as us getting back in the division, we haven’t really gotten back as much as AZ has abdicated the lead. If they had merely played .500 ball the past 2 months, we’d be 10 out right now.

My wife will turn in around 8 but watch political crap on the tube upstairs. She loves that stuff. Occasionally she’ll watch a Dodger game with me, but she’s not really much of a baseball fan. She’s a Charger nut. I think I’ve mentioned that before. She fell in love with Dan Fouts back in ’81 and has been rooting hard for them ever since. Watching a Charger game with her is quite an experience. She’ll leap off the sofa with virtually every little 3-yard blast off tackle. Sheesh. LOL!

Our son will usually be asleep by 9 during the school year, but he’ll stay up until midnight or so at summertime playing video games online with his pals.

Our daughter was another early-to-bed kid until she started working graveyard shifts at Starbucks. She and her pals are doing what I used to do with my friends when we were her age – stay out fairly late. They are good kids, at least that’s what I lie to myself. :-)

I do like the Chargers – I am a new Charger Fan, though, I like LT and Rivers. My favorite is the Redskins, but I do cheer on the Chargers as a west coast favorite. What your wife does during a Chargers game is usually how I react to a Dodgers game. I will react the same way as if I were at the game myself. The only time I don’t go all out is when the Dodgers are playing the Giants, then I just sit and let the game speak for itself. The only reaction are for Andre, but they have generally given me that out all the time now.
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My husband goes to sleep around 10-11ish depending on a movie or sports. My son and daughter have always naturally gone to bed no later than 10, but this is the first summer that they have stayed up past 11. During the school year, it depends on sports and stuff when bed time is. Michael will usually go to bed on his own anyway. My daughter is the one that would stay up and talk on the phone all night if she could. I do most of my cleaning, article reading, and music writing later at night. I do novel reading and school prep in between blogging here and the trips to run errands and such.

That should be a plan for some day. To meet at a game in left field. That would be too cool. After all the songs we’ve done about JP, I am sure he would appreciate it.
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When I was driving down through so-cal last week, I was thinking about all the board members that live down there. I hadn’t paid much attention to the names of the cities until messagebear posted where everyone lived. The map will look really good when it’s done. However, I may switch to the Flat Stanley Map because of Rodmky living in Australia. The map that is on the baseball wall is just North America and I don’t want to leave him out.

I use the night to work on my Scout stuff. I run a NASCAR fantasy league, but that’s only on Monday nights. Pretty soon my fantasy football stuff will fire up. I’m in a league with my brother-in-law at his work and I run another one myself with my Scout-dad buddies. That will take up Tuesdays. Both of these things are a lot of fun for me. I write newsletters every week for both in the third person. “The Commish” runs the leagues, I’m just another team owner. The Commish is a pretty nasty character. He gives everyone a bad time and is a real dictator. As I said, it’s a lot of fun.

I bet you if Josh knew we were all going to be at a game on the same day some time, he would want to meet us too. He has got to be wondering who all these people are who write songs and role play on his site. LOL!!!

Lately at night, I have been rearranging my sons and my baseball cards. I am putting each division in it’s own binder because I have been on a little bit of a buying binge lately trying to get some rookie cards of both Dodgers and other players in the league this year. My husband and I are going to do fantasy football for the first time this year so that should be fun. Football season around here is much different than baseball. Everyone in my family likes a different team. My husband is a Texans fan, my son is a Steelers fan and my daughter is a Raiders fan. Plus we love USC colllege football and I follow Arizona State and Fresno State and Cal as well.

Who is it, dodgerboy? I can’t remember, but someone remarks occasionally about the amount of time we spend on this damned thing, especially on a Saturday night. It’s funny how the years slip by.

Back in the day I turned into a night owl by waiting for my girlfriend (now my wife) to get off work at 10pm. I’d go to the movies by myself and then we’d meet and get some coffee or desert and talk.

When she was busy doing other things, I’d get my buddy Steve and we’d hop on our motorcycles and fly the 50 miles out to Westwood and watch a movie out there. Speaking of time flying, I’ve just realized that on July 31st, he’ll be gone for 30 years………..amazing.

Boy, you guys are really spread around! Matt follows the Broncos. I was a Rams fan until the Black Widow stole them away. I found out how PierreEMW must have felt, except I wasn’t able to root for them. I’ve started gravitating to the Chargers, but if a team lands back in LA, I may switch to them. It’s hard for me to change my allegiances.

I grew up rooting for USC in football and UCLA in basketball. When I was in my little league years, I started watching a USC game with my dad and said, “Hey, what’s Johnny’s dad doing down there with the players. Johnny McKay played pitcher and 2B to my shortstop and his father was John McKay, USC’s head coach. OJ Simpson was a junior and I’ve followed them ever since. About the same time, a friend of mine convinced me to start watching this Lew Alcindor guy at UCLA. Same habit started with them.

Sweet story about meeting your wife after the movies. Sorry to hear about your friend- so you were in your 20’s.
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I used to stay up late with my boyfriend (now husband) and listen to Dr. Demento from 12-1:00 in the morning. He still didn’t get the night owl bug. My family (mom, dad, sister and brothers are all nights owls so in some way it was probably inherited.
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How long have you been on ITD? I think my first post was probably back in December/January, which seems like years ago, but it’s only months.

That’s neat about the McKay family. I do follow UCLA basketball. My dad coached a former UCLA player back when he was in highschool. I didn’t watch as much basketball as I usually do. I got pretty involved in spring training baseball games this year because of outfield situation. I paid attention once March Madness began. As far the NBA, the Kings had a rebuilding year so it was a good year to not watch so much. I am looking forward to the Kings next years. We drafted Patrick Ewing, jr. and the song of John Singletary (forgot his first name).

Thanks, we were pretty tight back then. He got me into bikes. We ran all over the place. One day we both played hookey from work and decided to drive back in the canyon to take pictures of ourselves going around corners with my new camera. We were hoping to get a decent shot that we could blow up into an 11 x 14 or something and hang it on the wall. We were on our way back when he got knocked off his bike and fell 85 feet over a cliff. Although he never regained consciousness, he lived for 2 weeks. I had a hard time for a while, blaming myself for it all. He was a really extroverted person and I was pretty withdrawn, my family was in tatters and I kept to myself a lot. He taught me how to have fun without drugs and alcohol. I still miss him.

oh eric – I am so sorry about that. Wow!! I could see somebody taking that hard. I, fortunately, have never had anything that tragic happen to a friend. It sounds like you have him to thank for your adventurous nature today in which that is definitely a good thing.

I think I started blogging here about the same time as you. I didn’t know anything about it until the fires that roared through here last fall. We have a lot of friends in Fallbrook and that place was really burning. The media wasn’t doing much reporting on that area. I got onto a local newspaper and the blog site was alive with people that weren’t leaving their homes as they were being advised to do. People from all over the country were asking them questions about the fire’s locations in relation to their friends and families addresses.

After that was over I started looking around at the various Dodger blogs during the Hot Stove league time. I settled on this one because of people like jhall and bear and enchanted constantly welcoming new people.

Hey Kahli – you came up out of nowhere. I believe Ethier was sitting at the time. If it weren’t for Jones going on the DL, wouldn’t that have been truly sad to see him sitting on the bench this whole time knowing what he has done so far and where he could be if he wasn’t benched in the first place.

I do take my hat off to Joe. He finally came up with a line-up that is strong. Kemp leading off is a great move, and the bonus is knowing the Dodgers don’t really “need” Pierre. Suddenly the Dodgers first six hitters are really a bunch to be reckoned with.

Dodgereric, I grew up a big Ram fan until they moved too. We used to always go to at least a few home games every year and we caught most of the rest of the games on tv or radio. I was heartbroken when they moved. I’ve been following the Chargers since then too. I was always a Flutie fan, so I started watching them when he was with the team. I really like the group they have now. I went to the home playoff game last season with a friend of mine. I’d never been to one of their games in person before. It rained a good part of the game, but it was a great game. My friend brought those rain ponchos for us and I was glad he did.

Those fires then are like what Nor-Cal is going through now. However, you guys seemed to have more housing that was affected. Up here it seems to be mostly landscape, which isn’t good either, but at least there doesn’t seem to be so much personal property damage as you had down there.
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yes, I remember you, jhall,enchanted, messagebear, kahliforni, old fogey and jungar the most at first and then I think sara was the first girl I remember assuming the ones I’m not sure of even now are men. I remember enchanted and jhall starting songs and I remember mlk and leefink talking about all the chants and how they didn’t even know they were two brothers on the site for a while.

I think I found my first post……..there was a discussion going on about the best Dodger catcher ever.

Yeager was wonderful to watch whenever someone was stupid enough to try and run on him. If he didn’t try to pull everything, he would have been a better hitter.
Scioscia was one of the best handlers of pitchers I’ve ever seen and a coach on the field. It’s a shame he’s an Angel.

All that said, and even though he made you wince whenever he threw to second, Mike Piazza was a true force in the lineup – a truly rare hitter whose every at bat you could not miss. He’s the best Dodger catcher ever. But let’s review this again in another 10 years. Russell Martin may change our minds.

Was that the first time the song was posted?
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BTW – I was looking for my first post and ran into many of swood’s earlier posts. This person we are talking to now, did not talk like that back then at all. Not even close. Totally different approach to the others on this board than how this swood is approaching us now.

bluecrewgirl – I totally agree with you if Jones is going to be this bad, and he hasn’t shown any signs of improving. How would the lineup change though? I would assume JP would take over lead off role again, but now, where do you put Kemp?

DNelly – If it were my choice, he wouldn’t bat lead off. Matt has a way better on base percentage and we’ve been more competitive, even in the games we’ve lost. I would bat him lower in the lineup like he did before Furcal got hurt and he definitely shouldn’t take any playing time away from Andre or Matt. I would not be happy if that happened.

I can never seem to get to bed before 3 AM on Fridays. I was going to say talk to you tomorrow, but it already is tomorrow, lol.

LOL!!!! Bluecrewgirl – I agree once again. Pierre could be a good 8th spot because he won’t need the pitcher to move him over. He will move over by stealing the base, and then Matt or Andre can bat him in.

Hey Gang, good news. I just heard on Fox News that they’ve got a failed steroid test on Barroid from 2002. Punkin’ Head is going to jail.
WooHoo.

By jhall1218@yahoo.com on February 14, 2008 4:32 PM
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Totally agree with your statement messagebear, “I just don’t think that other GM’s take Ned seriously” – why else would all the other GMs with someone like Santana or Heren or Bedard start by asking for Kershaw and Kemp and half the farm? – because they know there’s a chance they will get it with the Nedster, and they figure if they stall long enough he’ll cave.

To be honest, I think the only thing that’s keeping the youth movement on track is Logan.

And possibly the only thing that will keep Torre & Co. from killing us with Pierre & Nomar is Easler. I just hope it doesn’t take until July for the voice of reason to prevail.

By enchantedsunset@msn.com on February 14, 2008 4:35 PM
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If they start Nomore and Phewerre most likely we will fall behind quickly and they will have to reshuffle the lineup to keep pace with the Puds, D-Backs, and Rockies.

By jhall1218@yahoo.com on February 14, 2008 4:41 PM
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Barry lied? To coin a phrase, “I’m shocked! Shocked I tell you to find that gambling has been going on here.”

By jhall1218@yahoo.com on February 14, 2008 5:18 PM
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They got Ole Barroid.

Maris-61

Aaron-755

Those are still the records in my book.

By jhall1218@yahoo.com on February 14, 2008 5:19 PM
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“Someday when they’re up against it, and the Kent is beating the boys, tell ‘em to go out there and give it everything they got and win just one for the Nedster. I don’t know where I’ll be then, but its for sure Pierre will be in left.”

By enchantedsunset@msn.com on February 14, 2008 5:20 PM
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It’s good to read that Furcal is doing good we can use his LEGS as well as his power this year. If Jason Schmidt could get back to where he was one time with the Jints we’d be sitting pretty. We got the whole Torre story here in Brooklyn, mostly talking about Clemens & Pettitte. There is a rumor here that Shawn Green would like to come back or play with the Angels. I’m going to see if I can catch Kurkjian tonight. Well I hope everybody is having a good Valentine’s Day.

Starring Jeff Kent as Captain Jerk. Nomar Garciaparra as old Bones. Juan Pierre as Shlock. And in a dual roll, Jeff Kent as Snotty.

Episode one: The trotting pop-up.

By enchantedsunset@msn.com on February 14, 2008 5:52 PM
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Raphael Furcal as Cut-off the infield helmsman. James Loney as I-Heard-Ya the dugout communications expert.

Eithier wears the red shirt ’cause you know he’s gonna get axed.

I obviously watched WAY to much TV as a kid…

By enchantedsunset@msn.com on February 14, 2008 5:58 PM
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Beam me up Snotty,
the kids don’t listen.

By jhall1218@yahoo.com on February 14, 2008 6:09 PM
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Next year with Kent and Nomar gone we can do The Next Generation…

By enchantedsunset@msn.com on February 14, 2008 6:27 PM
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“We have nothing to fear, but Pierre himself” – that’s got to be a classic, jhall! I vote that the best of the blog, and it really sums things up.

By messagebear@yahoo.com on February 14, 2008 8:24 PM
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Thanks Bear.
We were on a roll tonight. Alot of good ones.

By jhall1218@yahoo.com on February 14, 2008 8:28 PM
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Throw softly,
And carry a little stick.

Josh, hope I’m not too late to send a message to Russell Martin. If not, here it is, and thanks for giving us the oppurtunity, it’s very much appreciated:
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Russell, awesome performance in the All-Star Game! You did great as the last Dodger to play at Yankee Stadium (barring a World Series matchup this October). Even though the NL lost, your determination made it so that we were in striking distance all 10 innings you played, in front of a national audience. Congratulations again, and we’ll make sure that you start the game next year.

A great win last night. It’s been a while since we’ve had 4 HR’S in one game. Had to leave before the game was over last night. Great game for Nomar. When he’s healthy, he can still hit. We need him badly. We need to take the next 2 and get this team rolling downhill toward the finish line.
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Way to go DODGERS………………………

Congratulations Russell on all your accomplishments: twice in the All Star Game and your many awards. We are proud that you are a Dodger and hope that you choose to be one for a very long time. Always remember to keep what is important close to your heart: your family, friends, values and dreams. I will always support you and my Dodgers through thick and thin. I know that you always play your heart out. Judging from the exciting first game after the All Star Break, we are in for an awesome second half. What stellar performances!! I will be there at most of the home games. I’m the one who always has that camera!! Love Cat

Good Morning, boys! – yes, your father and I were up late last night. Actually, early this morning if you want to be technical about it. Your father just couldn’t sleep. He has his flag ceremony this morning, you know. And then we had some friends over, kahli and bcg. We were reminiscing about the good old times. We remember when we were all just starting out on ITD, and couldn’t help think about the two of you. So, we had to go back and see where it all began. LOL!!!

Good Morning Boblee – it was a great comeback win last night, and Nomar did a fantastic job. Let’s hope he stays healthy and maybe that will keep Ned from doing anything stupid. I think if Joe can put out a lineup like last night, post Andruw’s exit, then with consistent playing time, this team can will do great things.

Publishing once again the list that we’ve so far compiled of blogger names with their locations. If we don’t have a city and state by your name, please provide that for our list when you post next. If we don’t have your moniker at all, please feel free to provide that information the next time you’re on.

Thanks messagebear! I was close, swood (the original) is from Virginia. Shad was asking. Hopefully, I can get into the classroom this week and do some work on the map. I went in last week and all my furniture was still in the corner. I was told they were setting up rooms on Thursday and Monday so we shall see.

Man I crapped out (oops!) early last night. Watched a little TV, played with the new pup, and went to bed.

I see I missed psycho Joey. I turned him in too just for good measure. Seriously has some nuts and bolts missing. I’ve got a good friend that works for Madera Unified that evaluates special and troubled kids – would probably have a field day with that one.

Also looks like I missed out on some other fun, but then there IS another game later today. :)

Nice comeback win last night. Nice also to see some power – it do help now and then. Nomore looks like he’ll at least go down swinging. Best game he’s had in a good long while. Let’s hope he can keep it going. Production out of SS is nice to see, and it may keep the Nedster from making an ill advised deal.

Seriously, if he was “sick”, then why was he out there in the first place? They ought to just 60-day DL him, put him on a diet, and send him out for some conditioning and strength training. Do that and then see what you have next spring. If there’s still no improvement, then cut him loose.

I’ve know doubt that between JP and DY, they can more than adequately fill in the rest of the year for that… player.

Morning dnelly. I like enchanted, also couldn’t stay up for the game last night. What a great comeback win. 4 HR”‘S, and Nomar playing good. We need him bad. Keep this up and we will be in first place all by ourselves.
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I hope Ned takes a nice long vacation and leaves the team alone and let them play. Great line-up, except they should bat The Blob in 8th place until he can prove he can help the team. He didn’t even look good in center field last nite. Too much buffet slowing him down. What a total pathetic disaster he has turned out to be.

good morning enchanted – yes, some excitement around here last night once again. At least you can say you had nothing to do with it. LOL!! I hope your day goes better today? It was kind of fun last night going through all the old stuff. Aren’t you going to LA this weekend? (LA – do you mean here in California or the state of Louisiana?) And, yes the Dodgers did a great job last night. However, if Andruw would have had at least o

Hey guys, first things first, great win by the D’s last night. Thank you Loney for saving the day. Also, a clutch performance by Chan Ho to get Ojeda out. Now, I am from Fairfax VA which is right outside Washington DC. Anyhow, I didnt go to sleep last night, I just went down to the basement to watch the last few innings or so and my computer is in my room. Also, I don’t understand what you mean about me not being the original Swood…or about how I treat the other bloggers differently than early in the season? If you are referring to the posts from last season that was the same person as this season so i dont know.

Have there ever been two more unmitigated disasters than Jones and Schmidt? $84 million for absolutely nothing, and no hope of ever getting anything out of them. In all the years I’ve followed baseball, Jones is without a doubt the worst I’ve ever seen. At least they’re only paying Sweeney what, $600K? to suck.

That makes Juan Pierre the best “big name” acquisition Ned has ever made. How pathetic is that?

I agree slik, Nomo was the pioneer for Japanese players over here. The D’s FO claims they are international in scope, so it would be nice if they honored the player that opened up Asia to the big leagues. Have a Nomo night Frank!!

swood – somebody came on as being you a few of weeks ago and you said somebody had taken your name. So, now we are just not sure which is which anymore. Do you remember telling us that? If this is really you, then I sincerely apologize! enchanted remembers the same posts.

Yes Nelly, that was my former friend being stupid. He knows my email and guessed my password. I sincerely apologize. Other than the posts from that one day though the rest of them have been mine I swear. Just one person. Same person as last season and all of this season. You have nothing to apologize for my friend.

Well i wanted to congratulate russel on his amazing play in the all star game for his great play and representing the dodgers so well. I also wanted to say sign a contract this year, all his fans love him here and we don’t want to hear he is squabling over a few extra million as he is here playing the greatest sport of all time and he knows he is playing in front of the greatest fans of all time so lets gitter done and get you signed so we can all be cheering you on for years and years to come.

good morning all.
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i wasn’t on-line last night, but i sure was watching that game! my goodness. Nomar, matt and james, those are my boys. It was such an exciting night, and we got our wish, dy came in (hopefully druw’s flu isn’t “too bad”- ha)!! What a great way for us to start off, take that snakes!! we are the better team.
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Dnelly/ ercic- thank you for the kind words last night. I don’t like the pierre bashing, however, like I said. I respect you and your opinions :) I think the ironic song will be wonderful. It’s a good anticipation.
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Sara- I am glad that there are more Kemp supporters out there . At the stadium there doesn’t seem to be as many. I am working on my own connections to get to Matt, no ball boys involved. We shall see how that works out!!
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We are going for 2 in a row today! Lets get em boys!!!

anyone who watched the game on mlb extrainnings last night…did you catch matt williams assessment of A. Jones at bats? he said it was as if “Jones wasn’t seeing the ball well at all.” he even questioned if the Dodgers checked his eyes, which I believe they did already.

plus they also showed a graphic where A. Jones is batting something like .178 since July, 2007. I don’t blame Ned for A. Jones’ failure. I do blame him for not doing due dilligence – i.e. getting reports on his slipping bat speed, weight gain, possible knee damage,dipping batting ave. etc. plus i would love to know what the next highest bid was after the Dodger’s. maybe other teams were just as crazy/foolish…if this guy could just bat HIS WEIGHT the Dodgers would walk away with the division.

just a final word on russell martin and the all star game. the guy is a gamer. he just belongs there. played the game like a pro of many years. not sure if he really is a gold glove catcher – i.e. his throws and accuracy are wildly erratic – but it would be hard to take him away from behind home plate, though if anyone can ,
it would /could/should be Torrre.

and finally, did anyone notice some missing hall of famers? where was Koufax and Duke Snider (for that matter Tom Seaver and Jim Bunning). I know Koufax is at best an enigma, but for cryin’ out loud could he and Duke have shown up to honor their Brooklyn days and all their memories (and their fans) from Yankee Stadium?!?

Hey nelly, and everyone else… How are you guys? Great game last night, listened to it on the radio, I did quite a few fist pumps!! Awesome way to start the second half. I really like our chances with Bills tonight, he’s been awesome. I’d like to see them rest Jones tonight with Haren going = lots of k for Jones. This team is starting to really put some hits together, the pitching will always be there too. Final note, for anyone who has not yet seen it…. THE DARK KNIGHT is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen… Absolutely amazing!!

Hey Brandon! Eric saw it last night and said it was awesome, too. We are planning on seeing tomorrow, Monday or Tuesday since we are coming to Las Vegas on Wednesday – can’t wait ( except for the weather). LOL!!

It’s actually supposed to even be somewhat humid and rainy later this week… so you might be here for some of that… It’d be nice for some rain. Has anyone heard any kind of an update as to whether or not Andruw Jones will be in the lineup tonight due to his ” flu like symptoms” I really think he could use some fluids and try to build his strength back up….. Man I’m really growing to not like this guy at all!!

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m hoping that Druw has mysteriously re-injured his knee and needs to go back on the DL.

Its interesting to me to see how NedCo is manipulating the DL. They use it to drop PVLs from the roster, but keep them around in case they come back around in rehab. Its the only explaination I can come up with for why you just didn’t DFA guys like Bennett and Sweeney.

Brandon, we certainly would rather have Phew playing over CowPie. However, I would still put him in left with Kemp in center and Ethier in right. When Phew comes back, he should not lead off. He needs to bat 8th or 9th.

brandon – I don’t know if hot, humid and rainy is actually better – sounds too much like the south to me. It’s okay – we are staying in a big cool hotel this time. LOL!! Knowing our luck, it will be a flash flood. I have heard two warnings this week already from a nearby town near Fresno. LOL!!!
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I can’t believe I am wishing Andruw to go back on the DL so Pierre can come back. Talk about “ironic” and yes, I am still working on the song, mostly trying to change some of it now.
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Amy – you are welcome, and I hope our boys do well again tonight. With Billz pitching, as long as they do their part, it will be another win and at least 2 out of 3 for the series.

Good afternoon ITD boys and girls,
I must have signed off yesterday just minutes before this new thread. And since I usually don’t post during the game and it was a long game last night (GREAT WIN FOR US!!!) I didn’t log on until this morning and found out what this particular thread was all about. I’ve gotta go but I will make one more post just for Russ and then leave. I’ll catch up with y’all later…

I just hope I’m not too late with this post:
Hey Russ – Boy, what a great All-Star game you had!!! You may have been the Dodgers’ lone representative, but 2009 – yes, you won’t be so lonely!!! Your boys will be with you!!! I loved your play throughout the game; I am just so proud of you! My favorite part of the game was when you came up to bat against Rivera and fouled off a bunch of pitches and got a hit against him! That was great! It’s too bad the NL didn’t get the win, but there’s 2009!!! Thanks for representing the Dodgers soooo well!!!

Nelly, I used to live in the south… trust me, I know what you mean. Which hotel are you staying at when you come to town? I’m a concierge on the strip… kind of a fun job. I would not be too upset if Andruw’s knee is not healed and he goes back on the dl. He tried to make himself out to be some sort of martyr for coming off sooner than he was supposed to… BS!! He is having a terrible year, and there’s completely no call for the having to just put up with it. The goal of an orginization is to win games, and to put the best team on the field… sometimes it takes longer than we’d like for them to come to their senses to do so… but in this case it’s getting to be a waste of a roster spot, and getting very little production from someone else is without a doubt much better than not getting any production at all!! Something has got to happen here and now with Jones.

jhall – sometimes that is the only thing that makes sense. Making Ned’s vets look completely pathetic as you can do nothing else but get rid of him.
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On the other hand, our young gun dynasty is pulling together very nicely right now, and it will be a shame for Joe to mess that up when JP comes back by putting Andruw out there as well. However, if the focus is to get rid of Ned, I just hope for Matt and Andre’s sake they are somewhat aware of this fact because there will be a great deal of explaining to do to the fans when this happens.

Brandon, MGM Grand – usually stay there or the Mirage. We have teenagers who like the pool at the MGM Grand and when it’s just the two of us, we stay at the Mirage. My husband is part of the UNLV Hotel Admin Alumni so he gets discounts and stuff there. I like horse racing, Brandon. I only do it when I go there, but I think it is so much fun. Every year I learn a little more, and I enjoy it that much more. Plus, I don’t bet big and it’s great entertainment for the cost I put into it. I usually come out even, but it’s the entertainment factor I enjoy. I will play black jack,too, but not like my husband does. Also, I’m not a slot machine/video poker person ethier (either). I like the live action stuff.

jhall – as much as I would be crushed to see Andre riding pine more than he should (which shouldn’t be at all unless he truly needs the day off) then if it’s for that purpose, I can certainly live with it and understand the reasoning, but I don’t know if we, as fans, will know that is what is happening.

Nelly, I’m concierge at the Tropicana, you should swing by and say hello when you’re in town! I’ll be right across the street from you…. I do have to point out that I work for Expedia and not the Trop… this place is pretty much a dive. There is no reason in the world that Andre should be riding the pine unless it’s for a day off… this guy has proven himself time and time again… It’d be cool to meet you Nelly.

yes, enchanted, all those boos would make me want to come home for more. The funny thing about that is for most of us it’s not Andruw we are upset with, it’s Ned for aquiring him in the first place. Ned didn’t trust Ethier, Kemp, JP, Young and possibly Repko to get it done so he did a knee-jerk reaction that he is famous for and screwed up again. It’s the same thing with JP, it’s not that I am personally mad at him for playing the way he does, he’s always played this way – it’s Ned who everyone should be booing because Andruw and JP shouldn’t even be here in the first place.
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very funny jhall – LMKO!!! I did the LMEEO!! to my sister on her cell phone – freaked her out until I explained what it stood for.

Wow!! That is close!! I will definitely try!! We are there Wednesday through Saturday. The Tropicana has so much history, though. It was one of the originals. It was on that corner all by itself for the longest time, and then Vegas pretty much exploded with huge hotels that keep getting bigger and bigger. We also like staying at the Orleans, too. We stayed there more often when the kids were younger because of the movie theater, bowling, etc and it was more local.

How frustrating would it be to see Kemp or Ethier traded and then next year they explode for career years, and continue on pace and have All Star careers? I’ve seen A LOT of that from our past… I’ve seen enough… can we keep some of our talent and let them become stars in LA? Thank you.

Eric – it looks absolutely fabulous!! Wow! Goose bumps Wow!! Your son should be very proud of himself for doing such an honorable thing and sticking it out through completion. Fantasic Job – Matt!!!
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BTW – I can’t believe you carried the flag pole 1/2 mile – that must have been quite a feat!! Wow!!

By dnelly_ae16@sbcglobal.net on July 19, 2008 5:55 PM
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Eric – I posted this on the Dodger Lyrics site – Wow!! Tears right now – very moving thing you and your son did :)

Thank you. I have a couple myself. He’s a fine Scout, but he’s a better human being.

We stuck the other end of the pole in the bed of my truck and I supported the other end. He drove the truck to the park. You can see a little of my hands-free device for my phone sticking in my ear. That was our communication for me to tell him to slow the heck down!

Eric – I definitely hear you on the human being part. It’s is really incredible, eric! This is what our media needs to be exposed to. All the good things kids are doing, and to let people know it’s not all bad. Sometimes that’s all we hear, especially in my line of work, and it is very refreshing to see such a great thing done by a young man. Can you tell, it still has me emotional, and I wasn’t even there. I can only imagine what it was like to be there.

This link shows the Dodgers as possible suitors for Daniel Cabrera, Aubrey Huff, Brian Roberts, and George Sherrill… All of which would be welcomed… only problem is what in the world would we have to give up… I would not want to speculate.

Thanks e and nelly, it’s been quite the experience for me to having been involved in Scouting for the past 7 years. We all get jaded the way the media portrays things nowadays. It’s always death and destruction that leads the news, isn’t it?

I have to say that I’ve been around. I’m 55, worked construction for 32 years. Worked 2 jobs for 2 years so we could afford to have that 16-year-old you see in those pics. I’ve gone to church my whole life. I’ve been very involved in a lot of things, school boards, church, little league baseball coaching, service organizations, etc. If I was to list the best 15 humans I’ve met, I think 10 of them would be parents in our troop. And they’re all raising kids. There is hope for the future, you just can’t watch TV to get an idea of where the good ones are.

We have songs about Andre. We have a song about James and Matt, but I thought about our all-star and thought he needed a song too.
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Song: Captain
Original Song: Venus
By: Bananarama
~or Shocking Blue (the original version)
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Captain is our man on top
Leader of this Dodger team
The Catcher of baseballs and dreams
And Russell is his name
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He’s got it
Yeah, Russell, he’s got it
He’s our captain, he’s on fire
That’s our desire
Well he’s our Captain, he’s on fire
That’s our desire
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His weapons are his perfect throws
Downing every man he can
Back at the plate there he is
Has what no catcher has
Wa!
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He’s got it
Yeah, Russell, he’s got it
He’s our captain, he’s on fire
That’s our desire
Well he’s our Captain, he’s on fire
That’s our desire
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Captain is our man on top
Leader of this Dodger team
The Catcher of baseballs and dreams
And Russell is his name
.
He’s got it
Yeah, Russell, he’s got it
He’s our captain, he’s on fire
That’s our desire
Well he’s our Captain, he’s on fire
That’s our desire

I know this may be a little too late, but Russell you’re great and as a Dodger fan I’m so thankful that you’re a Dodger! Keep up the great work! You’re skills amaze me! Thanks so much! As the commentators called you, you are a Magician behind the plate! :)
Sonia

Russell you are such a great ballplayer. Over the last few years you have rekindled my love for the game. Just watching you put every little ounce of yourself out there everyday is addicting to watch. I have been a Dodger fan since I was a little girl and I would watch almost every game but since you came along I look forward to every second you play. I save every extra cent to get into the Coors Clubhouse just to be up close when you come into Denver. I fly into LA just to hit up a few games in a row.
Not many things inspire me like watching you play. I am an artist and most artist get inspired by going to museums but seriously I get more pumped by watching you play than anywhere else I look.
To me its such a wonderful thing to watch a man do exactly what he was made to do. No wonder so many women love you. We cant help it. You project to us all that is lacking in the world….its so hard to find anyone who gives 100%….we are surrounded by apathy and mediocrity.
Just keep in there…..bring your studliness and swag and keep rocking the ball field because we are all behind you…..bowing as you pass…..and saying to ourselves, “We are not worthy.”

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